BHawks

Did you sell it for 5.99 plus tax?

Its freaken crazy, this racer saved my life in a low hop and pop pilot chute in tow mal, the mal was my fault not the rigs, I pitched too early leaving the plane.

Exactly what the subject line was. These things have a bad reputation, it served me for three years just fine, I just downsized lost a bunch of a weight and got a killer deal on a Javelin. How much is a 98 Racer worth? the velcro has been redone about a 50 jumps, new risers and it has an RSL, I just never connected it. Also have other stuff, I could part out and sell individually but I am trying to sell it as a complete system

I went to Lodi for the second time yesterday, we did six jumps. I had a blast. There is a lot of crap talked about this place, probably from people that heard this from someone who heard it from someone. I guess for the swoopers out there, this isn't the place, Bill only allows 90s, but I saw some pretty hi performance landings with jumpers doing sharp 90s in rapid succession. Its a bit far, 2 1/2 hours, but if you make 5 or more jumps in a day there, you'll make the gas money with their cheap prices. The Beech 99 is fast to 13 grand, everyone was super chill. One thing that kind made me scratch my head was how they put a tandem out first, followed by the fun jumpers then the rest of the tandems. One jump they stuck all the fun jumpers in the back and put out 4 tandem groups before us. I don't like coming down on top of tandems, so we adjusted our skydive to track away a little higher and it worked out well. I will definitely be visiting Lodi again in the future. One thing everyone agreed upon was keep Bill happy and you will enjoy your experience.

Ha ha ha ha...! I finally did it, only took a lot of months shoveling shit at the dropzone, but I am finally flying our 206. Make more money shoveling shit, but driving the 206 is awesome! I've flown 10 loads this week so far and counting. I already bought beer, fuckers.

PM me if serious. Legal transactions of course.

Midway Island

I'll be fine, its just fucking with me a little, I put so much into it and presto! Gone. Hey its my first "cutaway" Ha ha. I think I'll stay in freefall for awhile before I reach for my reserve handle. OK, enough dwelling on it, I have to go sell guns so I can get the $$$ to become a flight instructor anyways. And we have a PAC this weekend to jump out of, well if they unshackle me from the packing mat... Blue Ones

Aw man, I really like that

Fricken girlfriend. 2 3/4 years, gone...should have bought a new rig instead

Hello. Maybe I'll get a lead on where to go for this. I have called a few aircraft financing operations and trying to get a Cessna 182 for skydiving, but you mention the word skydiving and they instantly clam up. I would think if you mentioned it will be used for a business they would want to know what business you are using it for, and if it is already configured for jumping that would be kind of a give away. If anyone has a suggestion on where I might look for jump aircraft financing it would be most appreciated! Blue Ones! Ben

Thanks for info, our DZO wants to sell it. I wanted to find some general information about it. I don't think anyone around the DZ would actually use the FF2, but it is currently a great conversation piece. Before we put it in the classifieds would someone actually purchase it, and any idea what it would go for?

Hi our DZ has a Hitfinder FF-2. This thing looks archaic, I found that Airbournesystem's had once sold or still does... Other than that I haven't been able to find out much about them, does anyone actually use them? Is there a market for them? I was thinking it would be more of a collector piece. If anyone has useful information about FF-2, it would be greatly appreciated. THANX!

Howdy, I am a new rigger. Does anyone have any tricks to get the racer pop top to lay flush (as much as possible) with the rig when you close the darn thing?

Today was my first jump since that tragic day last Saturday. I was also on that plane and felt very apprehensive about jumping. Today we went out at 2500 feet ish on a hop and pop out of the PAC before it headed back to Reno. I also learned a valuable lesson today. I didn't think the slip stream from the prop could affect your pilot chute that much. It makes perfect sense to me after the fact, wait a few seconds than pull. I pulled as I left the plane and the slipstream blew the pilot cute down and around so I ended up with a pilot chute in tow malfunction. So I ended having to pull my reserve, which was the first one I had packed as a new rigger...

Today we went up for a hop n pop, we were at about 3000 feet. I was the first out the door, I exited, pitched, and the relative wind of the propeller wrapped my main pilot chute down and under me! So I have a pilot chute in tow malfunction at 2500 burning altitude pretty quickly. So I went for my reserve, it opened beautifully, fast, not a slammer and on heading! Can't beat that! To add on top of this, this was the first reserve I had packed as a new certificated rigger. So I saved my own bacon with my pack job. That makes me feel good to know my work, actually works! Get to buy my self a bottle! This was my second time looking up at a PD reserve, it is a solid canopy, flew real well, I PLFed it on landing, but I couldn't ask for anything more. When future customers bring a PD reserve for a repack, I can tell them, I will happy to work on it and it is a solid canopy! Blue Skies! Ben

Passed my Rigger's test today, the ink is still wet on the temporary certificate!

Thanks for all the remarks, suggestions and ideas. In regards to the expensive repack...I always end up with the rigger who has "not seen one of those before." Packing parachutes is a good idea, I do remember talking to a few packers down at Skydive AZ, granted that is the world's largest DZ and they have a constant flow of skydivers, those guys charged between 6 to 8 bucks a rig, at 3 or so rigs an hour...not going to get rich off of packing parachutes but it sure can't hurt! I should be starting the course late next week after some R&R in Vegas after this fun pilot training experience I just went through.

N/A

Hi, I am coming up on the end of a rather tedious six months of flight training and will be looking for a flying job...Hopefully at a DZ. To supplement my potential earnings I was thinking about other work I can do to kind of fill in the void. I found a senior rigger's course for about 2 grand outside of Vegas... Can any one tell me how much a new rigger can earn? Besides earning a few bucks on the side, I have wanted to do a rigger's course anyways because I am tired of the almost 100 dollar repacks and other odds and ends for my racer.

Pissed off pilot...venting my angst! Crap! The Flight Instructor school ATP offers is beyond ***** freaken ridiculous. Here is my opinion why. This grouchy old man sits you down for the first week for about 11 hours of ground school, plus 3 hours of homework. You fall asleep with study material in hand at somewhere around late something thirty.Get up at zero dark thirty and do it again. The other part I love is, you get 5 hours of flight training time towards your CFI. 1.5 hours is flying with a relaxed instructor going out flying from the right seat, doing maneuvers, getting used to the nutty airspace around North Las Vegas etc, not so bad... Then you have an evaluation flight, better be Jonny on the spot for EVERYTHING! Flying from the right seat, talking your way through the maneuvers, and knowing them cold. If you louse that up, you get a second evaluation flight, but with out going up again to work on any deficient areas. Jack that one up? No problem, that will be an additional 400$ bucks per flight hour in the plane. Somewhere in the insanity you are supposed to learn, to an flight instructor level of knowledge some pretty technical areas, (not so bad, but, combined with the already mountain of shit they throw on you, makes its a little far fetched.) One key subject area they totally leave out is the whole "learning to teach" subject, you want to be a flight instructor, think you better know that area pretty good. I talked to other flight instructors, when they went to a "regular" CFI class they would teach the different subject areas to each other, another CFI, or someone else, and receive a critique on how well their class went so the instructor candidate would know their strengths and weakness accordingly. In my opinion you need to have a good foundation here, because your students are also your customers. If you provide crappy instruction to a student, you are not only doing him/her a serious disservice, but costing them alot of money now, and later if they have to relearn something at a later date...if your are lucky, my hunch is they would fire you and find a different instructor...there goes your reputation, flight time and what ever pittance you slaved away for. Then you get reminded, "Oh by thew way, your check ride is tomorrow. If your not ready, we will put you off for how ever many dates, you will get a DPE instead of an FAA inspector, they cost 500 bucks, and oh yeah, if you fuck that up, its an additional 500 bucks for the recheck. These are a few of the reasons I pulled the ejection seat handle. I've have all the study material I need, and I'll find an FBO and work on my initial CFI rating at my own pace in a Cessna or Piper; and make darn sure I know this crap. Until then, I think I have a decent chance of flying a 182 for a skydiving operation in California. I also checked out this rigger class near Vegas to get my rigger's ticket to be of more use to the DZ and it sure doesn't hurt my resume. Thanks for putting up with my ramblings -Neb

Hey gals and guys. To add to the orginal post I bought another liberal hated gun, a high cap 9mm. I purchased it from a Soldier who wanted the extra cash. The weapon is a Springfield XD9.

7.62 sport utility rifle eh? I have a Springfield SOCOM 16 that IS California legal because it doesn't have that offending pistol grip. Don't mind what the rifle is capable of in the wrong hands, but you better be scared about that pistol grip. Another thing that puzzles me about the CA laws is that a "center fire, self loading weapon is prohibited from having or capable of having a bayonet or bayonet type device attached or affixed to the end of the weapon as it may cause harm to persons or property." My old bolt action Mosin Nagant with its spiky bayonet is legal...don't get it....

Wow, that is one of things wrong with this country... I lost your pants, sorry Mister, how much were they and I'll get you another pair of your choosing.... Nope that will be 54 million please.. How in the hell do you derive that figure from a pair of pants? Did I miss something in school?

Yes, I bought into the new administration scare of threat of banning the "assault weapons" again. I joined the rush to purchase a 5.56 rifle, it is actually very nice it is a Remington R-15, real tree camo, with a medium free floated barrel and aluminum forgrip. The only bad thing, it is illegal where I am headed next...the People's Republic of California. So it'll have to stay in WA until I move away or there is revolt. Blue Skies and Safe Shooting. Ben